253: Obtain Amethyst Card

For a moment, the entire entrance of the Inner Academy fell into dead silence.

All the Senior Students looked as if their souls had been sucked out, staring blankly at the five white-robed figures who sullenly withdrew their Dou Qi and silently took out their fire crystal cards, and then looking at the young man in green standing alone in the field, his aura slowly calming down.

An indescribable complex emotion spread through their hearts: shock, disbelief, frustration, confusion, and even a hint of awe that arises when facing incomprehensible power.

They opened their mouths, but found that any words seemed pale and powerless at this moment.

Any questioning, any excuse, became a ridiculous joke in the face of the opponent's absolute strength and unfathomable depth.

They had nothing left to say.

In stark contrast to the deathly silence of the Senior Students, the New Students' camp erupted in ecstasy, like a volcanic explosion!

"We won!! We won!!"

"Brother Donghua is invincible!"

"We made it through! We smashed the Black and White Evil Furies!"

The massive wave of cheers instantly scattered the previous solemn atmosphere.

Dozens of New Students were flushed with excitement, their eyes sparkling with fervor and admiration. They surged toward Jiang Donghua in the center of the field like a tide, surrounding him without a second thought.

It was unclear who started it, but several sturdy New Students laughed heartily and, along with their companions, haphazardly lifted Jiang Donghua and tossed him vigorously into the air!

"Whoa!!!"

Every toss was accompanied by even more fervent cheers from the New Students.

Jiang Donghua was stunned for a moment, then a relieved and relaxed smile appeared on his face. He did not resist this most direct and enthusiastic congratulation and support from his comrades.

At this moment, he was not only their leader but also their hero, having created a miracle that the Inner Academy had not seen in over a decade!

Just as this festive atmosphere reached its peak, a gentle yet extremely penetrating cough clearly entered everyone's ears, as if resonating directly in the depths of their souls.

Everyone froze and looked toward the sound, only to see the Great Elder, Ye Tianxing, on the high platform, who had stepped forward at some unknown point and was smiling as he looked down.

The cheering quickly subsided, and everyone respectfully looked toward this individual, one of the Inner Academy's highest authorities.

The Great Elder's gaze swept across the entire scene, lingering on Jiang Donghua for a moment, his eyes filled with even deeper appreciation. He spoke slowly, his voice calm yet inherently authoritative.

"Not bad, very good. These New Students have truly opened this old man's eyes."

He paused, then announced the reward.

"Given that your performance far exceeded expectations, successfully breaking through all interceptions to reach the Inner Academy, all New Students will receive an immediate increase of one hundred points of Fire Energy as a reward!"

"Wow!!!"

The New Students immediately burst into even louder shouts of surprise and delight.

One hundred points of Fire Energy!

This was far more than they had anticipated!

This was enough to give them a massive advantage during their initial period in the Inner Academy!

Following this, the Great Elder's gaze fell specifically on Jiang Donghua, who had just been set down. He smiled and said.

"As for you, Jiang Donghua. Your contribution this time was immense. One hundred points of Fire Energy is probably something you wouldn't even look at."

This drew a knowing smile from the crowd, as acquiring Fire Energy was indeed much easier for Jiang Donghua, given the strength he displayed and his status as an Alchemist.

The Great Elder changed the subject, announcing a decision that once again shook the hearts of all the Senior Students.

"Since that is the case, this old man shall make an exception this one time. I will directly upgrade your fire crystal card to purple."

"A Purple fire crystal card?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, gasps of shock immediately arose from the crowd of Senior Students, and exclamations rang out one after another.

That was the highest rank in the Inner Academy's fire crystal card system!

It was usually only granted to the most exceptional geniuses ranked high on the strong ranking list, or those who had made tremendous contributions to the academy, and only after strict review.

Holding a Purple fire crystal card not only represented extremely high privileges and status but also allowed entry to the deeper levels of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, where the cultivation speed was incomparable to the upper levels!

However, after the initial shock subsided, almost all the Senior Students fell silent again, their faces displaying complex but grudgingly accepting expressions.

"Sigh, it seems... there's nothing wrong with that?"

"That's right. He was able to defeat Senior Chen Ming, who is ranked twenty-fifth on the strong ranking list, head-on. With that level of strength, he should already be qualified to enter the Sixth Floor."

"Although the Purple fire crystal card is excessive, giving it to him seems justifiable."

They looked at each other, their expressions ultimately turning into helpless, wry smiles.

The Inner Academy's rule of respecting strength was demonstrated perfectly at this moment.

When an opponent is strong enough to break all conventions, then every exception granted to him seems perfectly logical.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Donghua was also slightly startled, then he smiled openly and respectfully bowed to the Great Elder on the high platform.

"Thank you, Great Elder!"

The Great Elder stroked his beard and nodded. After taking one last look at the messy arena and the students with their varied expressions, his figure slowly faded, disappearing as if melting into the air.

The other Elders followed closely and departed.

What remained were a group of joyous New Students with bright futures, and a group of Senior Students who were severely struck and needed to re-evaluate this batch of new monstrous talents.

And the name Jiang Donghua was destined to shake the entire Inner Academy in the most dazzling way!

After the initial shock and cheering subsided, a deeper, more terrifying realization, one that made them tremble upon closer thought, slowly swept over the hearts of all the watching Senior Students like a belated tide.

They began to recall the brief but breathtaking details of the battle. A terrifying fact, temporarily obscured by the result of the victory, gradually surfaced, causing countless people's scalps to tingle and their backs to run cold.

Jiang Donghua had only used two moves from start to finish!

One move was the fierce and unparalleled Heavenly Stellar Overlord Fist, seemingly driven by an Earth-Rank Cultivation Method.

The other move was the bizarre and exceptional Alchemist pill-fire technique that froze and vaporized the combined attack's flood dragon.

Besides that?

There was nothing else!

He hadn't even deliberately used any movement Dou Technique, nor had he employed any other attribute, form of offensive, or defensive Dou Technique!

What did this mean?

This meant that he defeated the powerful and well-coordinated White Fiend Squad, possibly without even using his full strength!

He was like an iceberg floating above the sea; people had only seen the tip he revealed, and no one knew how vast and terrifying the mass hidden beneath truly was!

"He only used two moves?"

A Senior Student asked with a dry voice, unable to believe his own deduction.

"It really seems so! One punch, one fire! That was enough to break the Black and White Evil Furies' final barrier!" someone nearby mumbled, his face full of bewilderment.

"Then how many trump cards does he still hold? To what extent has his true strength reached?"

This question wrapped around the mind of every Senior Student like a nightmare.

The unknown was the most frightening thing. The strength Jiang Donghua displayed was already enough to crush them, and yet that strength might only be the tip of his overall power!

This feeling of unfathomable depth brought forth a sense of despairing awe.

Soon, more detailed analyses of the battle and the terrifying fact that Jiang Donghua only used two moves spread like a whirlwind among the Inner Academy Seniors.

The previous remarks suggesting he won by luck, relying on pills, or human wave tactics, now seemed incredibly ridiculous and pale.

Comparisons began.

Someone couldn't help but compare him to the experts on the strong ranking list.

"Senior Chen Ming is ranked twenty-fifth on the strong ranking list, but Jiang Donghua defeated him without seemingly exerting much effort at all!"

"With this level of strength, if he were only ranked twenty-fifth, it would be a waste of talent! It would be an insult to his ability!"

"Exactly! Looking at the effortless and unfathomable feeling he displayed today, he must at least be ranked in the top ten of the strong ranking list—no, perhaps only those monstrously powerful individuals in the top three of the strong ranking list could truly put pressure on him, right?"

As soon as this assertion was made, it received the silent agreement of the vast majority of the Senior Students!

The top three of the strong ranking list!

Those were the few Senior Students who truly stood at the pinnacle of the Inner Academy, regarded as legends!

Every single one of them possessed terrifying strength and astonishing battle records comparable to the Elders.

Now, a New Student who had entered the Inner Academy less than a day ago was already being subconsciously placed by everyone at the same legendary height for speculation and comparison!

At this point, the three words 'Jiang Donghua' were no longer just the name of a New Student, nor were they merely the lucky person who defeated the Black and White Evil Furies.

The name seemed to be imbued with a kind of magic, becoming a symbol of strength, mystery, and unfathomable depth.

These three words truly and completely exploded throughout the entire Inner Academy with unprecedented speed and weight!

They were deafening and deeply ingrained in everyone's minds!

Regardless of their feelings—adoration, awe, jealousy, or fear—all Inner Academy Students clearly realized:

A super powerhouse capable of shattering the existing structure and shaking the strong ranking list had arrived with overwhelming force.

The Inner Academy's sky was truly about to change.

And Jiang Donghua, the center of this entire storm, merely accepted the Purple fire crystal card—the symbol of the highest privilege—with composure, his expression tranquil, as if everything he had just done was nothing more than a trivial matter.